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Where to Stay in Bermuda: Best Areas by Parish
Before you book a hotel in Bermuda, pick the area first. The hotel choice comes second. Bermuda is only 21 square miles, but the parishes feel very different from each other, and the parish you choose decides what you walk out into every morning, how long you spend on a bus, and how easily you reach the beach, the restaurants, and the airport.
I have been writing about Bermuda since 2008 and I get this question more than any other from readers planning a first trip. This page is the framework I send them. For specific properties and rates, see my deeper
Best Bermuda Hotels and resorts Page after you have narrowed down the area.
Elbow Beach, Paget
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Quick Decision: Which Parish is Right for You
Here is the short version, before the detail.
You want pink sand and the south shore: Paget, Warwick, or Southampton.
You want shops, restaurants, ferries, and bus routes radiating out: Hamilton City (Pembroke parish).
You want quiet, history, narrow lanes, and a 10-minute taxi to the airport: St. George.
You want family-friendly attractions, calm-water beaches, and access to both Hamilton and the airport: Hamilton Parish.
You want the Dockyard, the cruise port, the National Museum, and dramatic sunsets: Sandys.
You want a balance of beach access and central location at a lower nightly rate: Warwick.
You can see how the parishes line up on this
Parish Map of Bermuda. Now the longer version, parish by parish.
Paget Parish
Paget sits centrally on the island, just across Hamilton Harbor from the capital. A bus or a taxi gets you into Hamilton City in about 10 minutes. From Paget, the longest run to either end of the island is roughly 45 minutes. That is the main reason I usually recommend Paget to first-time visitors who want one base and easy access to everything.
The south shore of Paget gives you Elbow Beach, one of the prettiest stretches of pink sand on the island, plus Grape Bay and Coral Beach. Warwick Long Bay, Jobson's Cove, and Astwood Cove are a short bus ride west.
On the north side, the parish overlooks Hamilton Harbor with ferry docks at Lower Ferry, Hodson's Ferry, Salt Kettle, and Darrell's Wharf. The pink-route ferry from any of these into Hamilton takes around 15 to 25 minutes and is one of the most pleasant short rides in Bermuda.
A few things to walk to or cycle to from a Paget base: the Bermuda Botanical Gardens, the Masterworks Museum of Art on the same grounds, Paget Marsh with its boardwalk through old cedars and palmettos, and the Paget section of the Bermuda Railway Trail, which is genuinely scenic with harbor views.
Best places to stay in Paget
Coco Reef Resort (mid to upper range): Bermudian-style architecture on Elbow Beach with a private section of sand.
Greenbank Guesthouse (budget): Small property at Salt Kettle with harbor views, air conditioning, and free Wi-Fi.
Dawkins Manor (budget): Quiet garden-set apartments, good for self-catering.
Pro Tip: If you stay in Paget on the north side near Salt Kettle or Hodson's Ferry, you can hop on a pink-route ferry into Hamilton for dinner and skip the bus altogether. The last sailings back are usually around 11 pm on weekdays, earlier on Sundays. Confirm the day's schedule on the Shorelink app the morning you plan to use it.
Southampton Parish
Southampton is where the western half of Bermuda begins, and it is the parish I send people to when their priority is the beach itself. The south shore here holds Horseshoe Bay, which keeps showing up on global best-beach lists, Church Bay (the best snorkeling beach on the island in my opinion), and West Whale Bay, which is one of the best whale-watching spots in March and April.
From Southampton to Hamilton it is about 25 to 35 minutes by bus on route 7 or 8. From the airport to Southampton, expect a 40 to 45 minute taxi ride and a fare that runs roughly 50 to 65 USD depending on the time of day.
The parish has two championship 18-hole golf courses, Port Royal (a former PGA Grand Slam host with ocean views) and Turtle Hill at Fairmont Southampton. The Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the oldest cast-iron lighthouse in the world, gives you a 360-degree view from the top of the 185 steps.
Horseshoe Bay Beach (Southampton)
Best places to stay in Southampton
Fairmont Southampton (upper range, reopening soon): 100-acre estate with a private beach, Turtle Hill golf, the new Beach Club, and multiple restaurants.
The Reefs (upper range): Small, family-feel resort on a private pink beach with infinity pool and three restaurants.
Pompano Beach Club (upper range): Family-owned beachfront resort next to Port Royal golf, with its own watersports center.
Greene's Guesthouse (budget): A clean BnB with kitchen access, near the bus stop, with views toward the Great Sound.
For independent eating outside the resort restaurants, try Henry VIII (a British-style pub that has been a Southampton fixture since 1970) and Gulfstream near Horseshoe Bay for seafood.
Pro Tip: Southampton beaches face open ocean. The water can be much rougher than the calmer north shore. If you are traveling with small children, do at least one north-shore beach day from your Southampton base. Shelly Bay in Hamilton Parish and Tobacco Bay in St. George are far calmer.
Warwick
Warwick is the parish I recommend most often for travelers on a mid-range budget who still want pink sand at their doorstep. It sits between Southampton and Paget, with some of the prettiest south shore beaches on the island and a far smaller number of luxury hotels, which means accommodation here is mostly apartments, guesthouses, and small BnBs at much friendlier rates.
The beaches in Warwick are the reason to stay here. Warwick Long Bay is a half-mile stretch of pink sand, Jobson's Cove is a small rock-ringed cove next door that is excellent for snorkeling with kids, and Astwood Cove is a quiet pocket beach with a park above it.
Connect most of them on foot via the
South Shore Park trail and you have one of the best half-day walks in Bermuda.
From a Warwick hotel, Hamilton is about a 20 to 25 minute bus ride, and the airport is about 35 to 40 minutes by taxi.
Warwick Long Bay Beach
Best places to stay in Warwick
Granaway Guesthouse (budget): An old colonial house turned guesthouse with a pool, cottage, and individually decorated rooms.
Clairfont Apartments (budget): Self-catering suites with full kitchenettes, within walking distance of Warwick Long Bay.
Watercolours (budget): Small harbor-front property run by a Bermudian artist, with a tiny pool and palms.
For food, Blu Bar and Grill overlooks the Belmont Hills golf course and serves western and American fare, and Lost In The Triangle (LITT) does excellent fresh local fish at the corner of South Road and Dunscombe Road.
Pro Tip: Warwick has several grocery stores and a Lindo's Family Foods that locals actually shop at. If you book a self-catering apartment here, you can cook two or three meals at home and still eat out for the rest. That is the single biggest way to bring down the cost of a Bermuda trip, where restaurant dinners often cross 80 to 120 USD per head with drinks.
Hamilton City (Pembroke Parish)
Hamilton City is the capital and the commercial center. Technically Hamilton City sits in Pembroke parish, not in Hamilton parish, which confuses a lot of first-time visitors. Stay here if you want to walk out the door to restaurants, bars, shops, the ferry terminal, and the central bus terminal, with all bus and ferry routes on the island originating within a few blocks of each other.
This is also where the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute sits, along with City Hall and Arts Center (which houses the National Gallery), the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Fort Hamilton, and Albuoys Point for sunset views over the harbor.
If you happen to be on the island on a summer Wednesday, Harbor Nights turns Front Street into one of the best street festivals in the region with Gombey dancers, food stalls, and live music.
Hamilton Harbor and the City
For food in Hamilton, you have more choices than anywhere else on the island. A short list I tell readers to remember:
Art Mel's Spicy Dicy for arguably the best fried fish sandwich in Bermuda (a Bermuda fish sandwich is a serious thing, a piece of fried fish on raisin bread with tartar sauce and coleslaw),
Mad Hatters for European fusion in a tiny room,
Barracuda Grill for upscale seafood,
Robin Hood Pub for casual sports-bar dinners, and
Hog Penny for a proper plate of fish chowder spiked with black rum and sherry peppers.
Best places to stay in Hamilton City
Hamilton Princess and Beach Club (upper range): The landmark pink hotel on the harbor with its own marina, a private beach club shuttle, and a serious art collection in the lobby.
Royal Palms Hotel (mid range): A boutique hotel on a tree-lined lane, family-run, with a quiet pool in the garden.
Rosedon Hotel (mid range): Forty-four individually decorated rooms in a tropical garden setting, breakfast on the patio included.
Pro Tip: Hamilton is the only place on the island where you can comfortably go out at night on foot. Outside of Hamilton, evening transport thins out fast. Buses largely stop running by 11 to 11.30 pm and you will be relying on a taxi, which can be hard to find on weekends. If your trip is dinner-and-drinks heavy, Hamilton is the practical choice.
Hamilton Parish
Easy to confuse with Hamilton City, but this is a separate parish on the eastern side of the island, between Smith's parish and St. George. From Hamilton Parish, you reach Hamilton City in about 30 to 35 minutes by bus, the airport in 15 to 20 minutes by taxi, and the town of St. George in roughly 20 to 25 minutes by bus. That makes it the best parish in Bermuda for travelers who want both Hamilton access and a quick airport run.
Hamilton Parish also contains a disproportionate share of the island's headline attractions. The Crystal and Fantasy Caves are here, with limestone formations and underground pools. So are the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Tom Moore's Jungle with its blue holes and short trails, and Shelly Bay Beach, which has shallow calm water and a playground and is the best family beach on the island. Blue Hole Watersports rents Boston whalers that you can use to explore the tiny islets around Castle Harbor.
Shelly Bay Beach
For food in this parish, Swizzle Inn at Bailey's Bay is where the rum swizzle was invented (always order one with a fish chowder for the full effect), Tom Moore's Tavern does upscale French in a 17th-century setting, and Bailey's Bay Ice Cream makes around 40 flavors and is a justified institution.
Best places to stay in Hamilton Parish
Grotto Bay Beach Resort (mid to upper range): Currently the only resort on the island that offers an all-inclusive option, with its own beach and a cave bar.
Rosewood Bermuda (upper range): Owned by Gencom (the same group rebuilding Fairmont Southampton), set in classic British style on Tucker's Point with what is widely considered the longest private beach on the island and access to the Tucker's Point golf course.
Pro Tip: Renting a
Twizy or Citroen Ami microcar from Current Vehicles makes a lot of sense if your base is in Hamilton Parish, because you can hop east to the caves, north to Shelly Bay, and west into Hamilton City without waiting on bus connections. There are free charging Oasis Points across the island and rentals are booked through the Current app.
St. George's Parish
Stay in St. George if you care about history and want the airport at your doorstep. The historic town of St. George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the oldest continuously inhabited English town in the Americas, and the lanes still carry 17th-century names like Featherbed Alley and Old Maid's Lane. From any hotel in the town, the airport is less than 10 minutes by taxi.
What you have walking distance to: King's Square with the replica stocks and the ducking stool, St. Peter's Church (the oldest continuously used Anglican church in the western hemisphere), Tucker House Museum, Fort St. Catherine with its colonial military exhibits, and the historic Unfinished Church.
Just outside town, Tobacco Bay has calm shallow water, a beach bar, and rentals for kayaks and snorkels, and Clearwater Beach at St. David's is a wonderful family beach with another beach bar and is connected to Cooper's Island Nature Reserve.
Water Street, St George Bermuda
Photo: Charles Lewis, Shutterstock
The trade-off in St. George is reach. Hamilton City is about a 50 to 60 minute bus ride, and the western parishes are well over an hour. Some readers love this, because they want a quieter base. Others find it frustrating by day three.
Best places to stay in St. George
St. George's Club (mid to upper range): 12-acre property with one and two-bedroom units, pools, and access to the nearby beach.
Mid Ocean Club (upper range, in Tucker's Town adjacent to the parish): Cottage-style accommodations and access to one of the most prestigious golf courses on the island.
Hillcrest Boutique Hotel (mid range): The historic site at 1 Nea's Alley moved away from the "Aunt Nea's Inn" name to operate as a boutique luxury concept. The fully modernized hotel now features updated guest rooms, a swimming pool, a poolside bar, a sauna, and curated landmark and ocean views. Walkable from Kings Square.
Eating out in St. George is mostly about fresh seafood and beautiful ocean views. The town has great places to eat, whether you want a fancy dinner or a quick local snack. Here are the best spots to visit for food:
Achilles: A top choice for a fancy night out. It sits right on the water and serves a mix of Mediterranean and Asian seafood.
The Three King's: Located in the main town square. It is famous for great Indian food and has a nice upstairs patio.
Wahoo's Bistro: A famous local spot on the harbor. Go here to try the best local fish chowder and fresh fish sandwiches.
The Wharf: A relaxed restaurant with tables right next to the water, serving fresh local catches and pasta.
Munchies by the Sea: A small takeout/dine-in place by the harbor. It's a great place for a quick, cheap, and authentic Bermuda fish sandwich.
Pro Tip: Cruise ships occasionally berth at St. George in summer, and on those days the town gets busy by mid-morning. Walk Water Street and the side lanes before 9 am for the best photos and an empty town.
Sandys Parish
Sandys is the westernmost parish, the farthest from the airport (roughly 60 to 75 minutes by taxi), but with a strong case for staying here if your trip is built around the Royal Naval Dockyard, the National Museum of Bermuda, Dolphin Quest, the Clocktower Mall, or a long stretch of cruise-port access. The world's smallest functional drawbridge, Somerset Bridge, is here too, with an 18-inch opening.
Beaches in Sandys are smaller and quieter than the south shore. Somerset Long Bay is a backed by a park and a bird sanctuary, Daniel's Head is good for kayaking the western shoreline, and Hog Bay Beach is a small secluded stretch that almost disappears at high tide. Snorkel Park at the Dockyard has watersports plus a beach bar.
Somerset Bridge at Sandys
For food, Frog and Onion Pub at the Dockyard has its own brewery (Bermuda's only craft brewery, the Dockyard Brewing Company, sits inside), Bonefish Bar and Grill serves seafood on a waterfront patio, and Cafe Amici does solid Italian.
Best places to stay in Sandys
Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa (upper range): A 30-acre cottage colony peninsula with multiple private beaches and the kind of sunset views that justify the location.
Willowbank (mid range): Smaller waterfront properties with its own beach.
Pro Tip: From Sandys, do not try to do day trips to St. George by bus. It will eat your day. Take the Orange-route ferry from the Dockyard direct to St. George (summer weekdays only, about 45 minutes and one of the most scenic rides in Bermuda). On other days, take the Blue-route ferry to Hamilton and bus on from there.
Practical Logistics You Need to Factor In
Before you commit to a parish, sanity-check the logistics.
Hotel taxes and fees: Every Bermuda hotel adds a 7.25 percent occupancy tax, a service charge of around 10 percent, and most properties also add a resort fee in the range of 25 to 50 USD per night. A nightly rate of 500 USD often lands closer to 600 USD on the bill. Build that in.
Public transport zones: Bermuda runs on a 14-zone system across both buses and ferries, now managed under the Shorelink brand with a mobile app for digital tickets. A 3-zone cash fare on a bus is 5.00 USD (you cannot pay cash on a ferry).
A multi-day transportation pass works on both buses and ferries and is almost always cheaper than paying per ride: a 1-day adult pass is 19 USD, 3-day is 44 USD, and 7-day is 62 USD. Buy passes at Visitor Services Centres in Dockyard, Hamilton, or St. George, or through the Shorelink app. See the full
Bermuda transport guide for routes and timings.
Cabs and microcars: There is no Uber and no traditional car rental in Bermuda. Taxis are metered, government rates, and they add up fast (a 2.5 mile ride is typically 20 to 25 USD). Microcar rentals from Current Vehicles (the Renault Twizy, Citroen Ami, and the newer XEV Yoyo) are the most flexible option for couples, with 100-plus free charging Oasis Points across the island.
Seasonality: High season is April through October. Off-season rates from November through March can be 30 to 40 percent lower, but several restaurants and watersports operators reduce hours or close. If you visit in winter, Hamilton and St. George stay the most active.
Common Mistakes I See
A few traps that show up in reader emails over the years.
You book Sandys because the photo of Cambridge Beaches looked perfect, and then spend two hours a day commuting to attractions in the east. Match the parish to your actual planned itinerary, not to a single image.
You book St. George because the airport is close, and then realize on day two that everything you want to see is on the other side of the island. If you have only 4 nights and a long list of beaches and Hamilton restaurants, do not stay in St. George.
You book a hotel without checking the bus stop distance. Look at it on a map. A hotel that is a 12-minute walk to the bus on a hilly Bermuda road feels different in 85-degree humidity than it does in your browser tab.
About the Author
By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj has been writing about Bermuda since 2008, when he launched bermuda-attractions.com, one of the longest-standing independent guides to the island. A Certified Bermuda Specialist (Bermuda Tourism Authority), his work draws on personal visits, local contacts in Bermuda, and questions and trip reports from thousands of readers over the years.
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Visitors' Reviews and Comments
Lisa (October 2016)
Hi Raj, I am loving reading everything about Bermuda! We are planning to go on a family vacation with our children, ages 17 and 20, between Christmas and New Years. We are not really beach goers or night life seekers. We want to see all the cultural, historic and scenic things that the island has to offer. Which Parish would you recommend that we stay, what sites should we see and how many days would you recommend. Travelling on a budget is also important to us! We'd like to eat good local food and enjoy Bermuda like we were coming to live there!
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) October 2016
Hi, St. George is a great place to stay if you love historic sites. The parish is also scenic and rich with Bermuda's culture. However being at the eastern end of the island (near airport), commuting to Hamilton (the capital) and western parishes would take a while (about an hour or more by bus). If you like to stay centrally and have more choices of hotels, then Paget is a good parish to stay. Full 5-7 days would give you a nice flavor of the island.
To live like Bermudians, rent a vacation apartment with a kitchen, buy groceries and cook your food. Food trucks at Hamilton are good ways to taste local food, so are small eateries like Gojo's cafe at St. George, Art Mel's at Hamilton and lot others. Try out traditional afternoon tea (several options in Hamilton and other parishes), as well as an island drink like rum swizzle at Swizzle Inn at Hamilton parish. You will find information about all these in my website.
Karen Doyle (October 2014)
Hi Raj, we are planning to visit Bermuda for a week towards the end of July 2015. We shall be coming from the UK and therefore know very little about Bermuda - other than it looks an idyllic place to holiday. The questions I have relate to where to stay. I've read about the various parishes and they all sound wonderful. My husband and I are very active and in our 50's. We would like to stay near a beach that is calm (would the west coast be better?) and the sunniest spot if there is one. Also if we could be relatively close to shops, restaurants etc that we be super as we are hoping to stay in one of the lovely BnB's on the island. Many thanks and kindest regards, Karen.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) October 2014
Looking at your requirements, Southampton can be a good place to choose.
Priya (April 2014)
Hi, your website has been really helpful! However I need your advice on finding a budget hotel/accommodation near to the Fairmont Southampton as we'll be attending a wedding there in June whilst on our trip. I'm travelling with my partner and two children aged 3 months and 19 months so I'm looking for something that's also child friendly and easy access to the beach as well as the Fairmont hotel. Many Thanks!
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) April 2014
Hi, there aren't many budget hotels in Southampton where Fairmont Southampton is located. You can consider Clairfont Apartment or Granaway - both located at the adjacent Warwick parish and having easy accessibility to Southampton by bus. You will find more info under Warwick Parish.
Melinda Lang (April 2014)
My daughter will be an intern at Dolphin Quest this summer. We will be visiting her and the island July 20 - 27, and were surprised to discover that it is high season, as oppposed to the caribbean. This news greatly changes our financial game plan and are hoping you can help. We were looking to lodge close to the Museum for part of our stay (as she will be working some days and we could spend time with her after hours), and then stay at a moderate resort on the beach the days she could acutally take off. Any suggestions for either? We would be much obliged.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) April 2014
Dolphin Quest is inside the National Museum complex and located in the dockyard. There are no resorts or hotels in Dockyard. The only resort in the same parish is Cambridge Beaches which is an upscale (5 star) resort. The next parish is Southampton which has a few good hotels and resorts. Go through Southampton Hotels. Warwick parish which is located just adjacent to and east of Southampton, has several nice budget and mid range hotels. Check out the link Warwick Parish for more info.
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